Japan's agricultural lobby has long been one of the most powerful opponents of the Trans-Pacific Partnership in Japan. However, trade talks between the United States and Japan have progressed to a point where the lobby is not likely to stop them. Many commentators have claimed that this progress is a result of the group's announcement that it would accept proposed reform that would remove many of the group's privileges and loosen its control over local cooperatives. By 2018, these reforms would begin to promote farm consolidation, making Japanese farms more competitive in the global market and making it possible to eliminate tariffs. Commentators argue that the prospect of these reforms could be easing current trade negotiations. However, the impact of the concessions on the lobby's political power is exaggerated.